56. Warm

Genre: Drama, Romance
Characters:  Wilson, Cian
Prompt: 56. Warm
Word Count: 1,107
Rating: R
Type: series
Summary: Cian learns of the past 
Warnings: Adult content
** Lack of shots again ...sorry, WORDY

Cian shifted, causing a wave in the still water as she made herself comfortable against Wilson. The steaming hot water had cooled significantly but was still comfortably enough to keep her warm. Maybe it was the fact of his body being so close to hers that made her feel warm, gratified, high above the clouds. A sigh of contentment escaped her lungs the moment his lips made contact with her skin. “What was that about?” He mumbled against her ear withdrawing his hand from the water to caress her shoulder. “I just…” She muffled yawn, “love this place! I love being here with you!” Cian turned to meet his lips; they too were warm and soothing, sweet, and addictive. “We can stay if you want.” His words vibrated against her lips. “If we do that, I’ll never want to go home.” She followed up with another kiss. “That’s what I meant. I’ll sell my house and the club; get an apartment with a balcony overseeing the beach, and enough room for you to have your own painting studio.” Cian released his lips in disbelief. He wasn’t serious, he couldn’t be serious. He’d sacrifice everything he owned for her? “You’re serious?” The smirk faded confirming her disbelief. He chuckled, “Of course I am! Now that I have you, I don’t plan on letting you go.”

Cian turned, hid her frown from him as she carried a handful of water and bubbled to her shoulder, watching it drizzled down her arm and chest, “But your house? Your club? Your family?! I could never let you give up all of that, not for me.” 

Wilson slid his arm around her waist, effortlessly turning her sideways so he could see her face. “I can always buy a new house, I was planning on selling the club anyway, and the only family that I have is Bianca. I’d miss being close to her but I could always fly her out here.”

“You have another sister and-”

“And parents? I told you, I don’t deal with them-”

“Because they’re selfish and overbearing. I remember you telling me that but you never told me why you think they're selfish.” 

Wilson took a deep breath as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Talking to her about Ramone had already caused an unusual amount of silence between them that he had to fix with another intense lovemaking session and warm bath. This conversation would have one of two outcomes but he was almost certain which it would be. “They’re selfish…” He paused, “because they caused our separation.”

Cian pulled her lips inward and nodded as she silently debated on if she really wanted to know or not. Judging by the look on it face, it was either something really bad so he really didn’t want to talk about it. Either way, this door was open and now someone had to walk through it. “Why?” She whispered meeting his eyes already glossed over and ready to release tears.

“My dad,” He exhaled, “my dad grew up in a traditional Italian household. My grandfather taught him to always be proud of his heritage and the importance of a strong bloodline. While some of my grandfather’s best friends were of other races, he didn’t approve of mixing. My mother’s father was also Italian, her mother French. Since they were close friends of the family with Italian roots, my mother was an exception and deemed perfect for my father. My father raised us the same way. We could have friends of any color, as long as we were just friends, the reason why you and Renee were always welcome at my house.”

Cian shook her head confoundedly. It didn’t make sense. They were 10 years old. Surely they couldn’t have known that their young minds would be consumed by the other, their hearts would some day beat to the same rhythm. “One day, five years after I last saw you, I heard my parents arguing and decided to ignore it. I couldn’t take it. I didn’t know where I was going; I just knew I needed to get out of there. On my way down the stairs I heard something that caught my attention, backed up and stood by the door. The things I heard...the things they said about each other...”

“Just tell me!” She was growing restless with his attempts to evade the reason.

“My mother and you father had an affair.” Wilson exhaled again, gliding his hand up her back. Her lower lip began to quiver, that quiver that he’d seen the night she dropped Bianca off. She was doing everything in her power not to cry. Her eyes gave it away. The way she looked at him broke his heart, filling him with a massive amount of guilt for allowing the conversation to venture down this path. He could have prevented it. Should have avoided it. Stepped around it as he had before and continued to tiptoe for as long as he could. “It wasn’t the fact that she cheated. It was the fact that it was with a black man?” Cian asked but already knew the answer.

 “He saw it as betrayal. They both betrayed him. When he found the emails, he printed them and mailed a copy to your mother. She received them the day I last saw you.”

Cian laughed, swatted the tears that escaped her eyes unwillingly, “That’s why they divorced.” She mumbled. Her heart was aching; slowly beating like it would stop at any moment. Disappointment pooled at the bottom of her stomach like a concrete block weighing her body down. All this time, all the ways he made her feel inferior to her sister for not choosing his side when they were divorcing and he was wrong, had been the reason why their once happy home had turned into a house divided with a hailstorm of angry names and physical fights.

“You should forgive them, Will. They can’t take it back and can’t change it. You can forgive without forgetting.”

“I can’t.” He wiped the last tear from her cheek, “My father forgave my mother but he still harbors ill feelings for your dad. He’d never accept us being together and I won’t associate with anyone who doesn’t accept you.”

Cian shook her head with a somber smile, trying to fight another round of tears, “So many issues and you think we can weather this storm?” She released a tearful snort.

“I know for a fact we can, you know how?” He pulled her close, dragging the drenched washcloth up knee, kissing the side of her head, “Because there isn’t enough hate in this world to keep me from you.”